A Second Life
by AliciaDeramus
Summary: The 94th Hunger Games have ended, leaving its Victor in a state of grief. Little does that Victor know, there are many secrets revolving around the previous games. Secrets that could lead to the fall of a society. The fall of a government. Sequel to Family Streak.
1. Chapter 1

**Rye**

The late summer air has a cool tinge to it, despite it still being fairly warm outside. I sit on the steps of my house in the Victors Village, alone in the late morning sun. This has been my life for the past two weeks since the games ended, since I watched my sister die right in front of me while I was powerless to do anything. She should be the one sitting here, waiting to go to my funeral, not the other way around.

I look up when I hear the sound of boots crunching on the loose gravel that is the path. I see the Peacekeeper, dressed all in white armour stop in front of me and I stand. Without a word he turns and I follow him down the path and out of the Village, where two other peacekeepers join us, one walking on my other side and the other talking up stride behind us.

As we enter the town, more people have begun to gather on the edge of the road, either wanting to pay their respects, or more likely, just trying to get a look at the latest victor of the Hunger Games. I haven't slept since I returned, maybe stealing an hour here and there, but every time I close my eyes I see my sister dying or Dale's blood on my hands. I think it would have been more merciful if I died in there.

The crowd thickens as we get closer to the square and I can see the stage. The last time I stood there was the day I got back. Troy stood next to me and we performed the Victors ritual, a new tradition after the games were re-instated, which includes the most recent District Victor handing over their Victors crown to the new Victor, showing they now carry the task of training new tributes and carry the responsibilities of being a Victor. Troy had tried to explain to me why Willow abandoned me in training and the arena, but a part of me didn't want to listen to him, I knew he was right, and I knew Willow would never have abandoned me, except to help me, but I'd been horrible to her and shut her out, instead of trying to understand. She probably died thinking I hated her.

I didn't deserve life.

The peacekeepers march me up the steps to the stage and gesture for me to take a seat in one of the five chairs that sit against the wall of the justice building. I slowly sit in one of the chairs that has a card with my name on it. To my left will be my parents and to the right will be the mayor and his wife.

The door to the Justice Building opens to my left and from the corner of my eye I see another squad of peacekeepers march out and cross in front of me. None of them look at me. I raise my head to watch them when one of the female peacekeepers cross my line of sight. I freeze for a moment when I see her.

Willow.

The blood rushes from my head when I see her in the white armour and I narrow my eyes, trying to see past the dark visor to look at her features, to confirm my thoughts. The more I look the more I realize I'm insane. For starters, Willow's dead. Next, the woman has blonde hair, and although it's hard to see past the visor, I'm fairly certain she has green eyes. I realize I've been staring at the girl for a long time and avert my eyes.

I look blankly out to the crowd that trickles in and see my parents being led down the center aisle by a small squad of peacekeepers. My mother quickens her pace and jogs past the peacekeepers and up the steps. she runs over to me and I stand from my seat just as she reaches me. She pulls me into a tight hug, which I do not return.

I suddenly realize this is the first time I've seen my parents since the the first day I'd returned to Twelve. There was a ceremony and a small reception afterwards, but since then, I haven't said a word to them. My father joins us on the stage where he looks me in the eye and nods solemnly. Sometimes I forget they were in their own games too. He places a hand on my mothers back and whispers to her. She releases me from the one way hug and nods, wiping a tear from her cheek with her sleeve. There's a long silence broken only by the footsteps of a peacekeeper from the squad that escorted my parents.

"The ceremony will be beginning shortly, we ask that you please take your seats." The peacekeeper is a young man, maybe 20. My father nods and sits in his assigned seat. My mother follows. I look out at the now empty square and watch for a moment as the first group of people begin to file into the roped off sections.

I slowly sit in my chair and wait.

"He's exactly like we were." I hear my father whisper.

"He hasn't talked to us in weeks! Peeta, he's not okay." My mother whispers back.

"Just think, after ours, we had each other. He doesn't have that. After the 75th, think of how you felt. Alone, terrified, more alone than ever. Thats him now. Things will turn up soon, they always do." My father replies. He's wrong though. Things will never turn up.

They both fall silent as the last of the crowd falls into place, nearly all of the district has come to watch Willow's funeral. It sickens me.

The doors to the justice building open and the mayor and his wife walk out. The mayor waves to the crowd as he and his wife take their seats. Finally, Pricilla and Troy walk out. Pricilla waves, but Troy does not. He understands what today is. Today is the day my sister is put in the ground.

Pricilla takes her place at the microphone and begins some speech I don't bother listening to. At some point Troy takes over and says something about Willow in training and the games. Pricilla takes the microphone once more, and that's when I realize something. There are about twice as many peacekeepers today as there are at other events. I look at the squad that the girl I thought was Willow is in and i see all of them with their eyes trained on the crowd. I look up at the roofs of nearby buildings and see that the corners are all dotted with white soldiers, guns pointed down at the crowd of people. This much security could only mean one thing.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, today you're all in for a special treat," Pricilla squawks, "Today President Arevalo has decided to join us in the final farewell to Miss Willow Mellark." The crowd applauds unenthusiastically as the doors open once more and the woman walks out.

Both my parents stand, so I follow their lead. President Arevalo waves to the crowd and then shakes my fathers hand. She moves on to my mother who says something to her, she smiles and then stands in front of me.

"Last time I saw you, you were being crowned victor." She states. I nod and continue my blank stare at her face. She's a tall woman, about Willows height. Her hair is grey with hints of her previous brown hair when she was younger. I'd place her in her fifties, but really, I could care less about her.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss." She says. She's lying. If she really was sorry, she wouldn't have hosted the games. As if she's reading my mind, she speaks for a third time.

"I know what you're thinking. All the victors think the same thing, I know that. Believe me, I truly am sorry." The woman's eyes are a dark brown. I still don't reply. She stretches out a hand for me to shake, which I do hesitantly. She lingers for a moment before moving on to the mayor and his wife.

After the president has greeted everyone, she takes her place at the microphone and begins a speech. Willows casket is wheeled out during the words and I follow it with my eyes. I notice movement in the corner of my eye and fix my attention on that instead. The peacekeeper that looked like Willow is pressing a hand to the side of her helmet and looks out at something in the crowd. I watch as the rest of her squad do the same and I see the lookalike place a hand on her gun. I look where they're all looking and I see a man forcing his way through the crowd.

"Free the Mellarks!" He shouts as he fires his own gun into the air. He then lowers it and points it toward the president. There's a collective gasp. I rise to my feet and watch the man. Willow's twin runs over to the president, tackling her to the ground just as the gun goes off. The bullet pings off the metal doors and rolls to my feet. I pick up the bullet just as a second shot rings out and the assassin falls to the ground.

Today marks two funerals.

**Willow **

Rye saw me. I saved the president.


	2. Chapter 2

**2 Weeks Earlier**

**Willow**

I gasp for air as I bolt upright, a shock forcing its way through my body. A scream escapes my lips as every essence of my being protests any mouvement. My mind races with so many thoughts I'm left with nothing. My mind is so busy it fails me and my thoughts are blank. A voice soothes me to my left but my screams continue as I cover my ears with my hands, rocking back and forth to try and lull myself back into the peaceful sleep I was so rudely woken from. The light burns my eyes even after I squint them shut. Slowly my thoughts make sense once more as I remember why I was so peacefully sleeping.

I died.

The games killed me.

Rye sat with me as I died.

I'm dead.

A hand is lightly placed on my back, causing me to whip around and smack an arm away. A man stares at me, a smile on his face. His cheeks are damp. I shouldn't go as far to say he's a man, more likely a boy, maybe 19 at the most. The young man looks at me, saying something that I don't hear. My ears are ringing and the only sound I hear is my own heartbeat. My eyes are wide and I assume I resemble a deer in headlights. I don't want to look away from the young man, but my instincts pull me away and I press my hands to my ears again. This time I don't scream, but I find myself whispering three words over and over again. I don't know why at first, but after a few seconds it makes sense to me again.

"Cassius. Troy. Rye." I repeat again. I inhale sharply as I'm finally able to put a name to the man sitting next to me.

"Cassius." I whisper, slowly removing my hands from my ears and turning to look at him. He smiles and nods.

"Cassius." I repeat once more. He nods again and his smile broadens.

"Hey." I reach out to touch his cheek, but as soon as my fingers meet his face a painful shock of electricity sends me reeling back. Someone behind me clears their throat and I turn my head to see someone standing in the doorway. It takes me a second to put a name to the face, but then I realize its Troy, my mentor, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Troy." I say, confusion spreading through my mind. Troy smiles at me and walks over to me.

"Good to see you." He says as he leans over the bed to hug me. Like with Cassius, a shock greets me instead of him. I reel back again and look confused at my hands. I look up to Troy for an explanation when I realize something else.

"I died." I say. Troy nods. I look over to Cassius to see his smile has faded.

"You died too." I state, looking at Cassius. He nods and look to Troy.

"You're still alive, right?" Troy nods too, glancing briefly to Cassius. I want to ask so many questions but no words fall from my open mouth.

.

Troy sighs and begins to speak.

"You're not dead." This simple sentence confuses me and I close my eyes tightly to try and let myself fall back into the sleep of death.

"I know." Cassius says, placing a hand on my back. This time there's no shock. I look up at Cassius, but he's looking at Troy.

"This is going to be a lot to take it, but just hear me out, alright?" Troy says, pulling up a chair from across the room and sitting at the foot of the bed. I realize now that I'm in a white room with multiple machines along the wall. I see a trio of tubes implanted in my wrist and trace them to what I assume are heart rate monitors and an IV machine, but I'm far from educated in the medical field, or any field for that matter. I nod to Troy and he continues;

"Your stylist, Dew, and I worked very closely together. Dew has a lot of friends in the Capitol, friends with a lot of power. We'd been planning a way to rescue as many tributes as we could. This isn't new for this year either, we've been doing this for the past two games.

The gamemakers were testing a new tracker, a cheaper alternative to what they've been using in the past. The liquid is injected into the bloodstream and deactivates when the tribute dies.

We managed to gain the support of the retrieval crew and convinced them to help us. When the tributes were collected, we made sure they were dead so the tracker serum was deactivated and attempted to revive them. The serum doesn't reactivate so we bring them here to re introduce them life, like you."

Troy looks at me like he's explained the most simple thing in the world. I look to Cassius and he's shaking his head.

"That explanation didn't work for me, what makes you think she'll get it?" Cassius says.

"She's a little smarter than you." Troy says with a laugh. A grin creeps onto my lips and then I realize something, theres no pain. I had a massive gash on my lips from the games and now i can't feel any pain. I touch where the wound should be and find nothing but soft skin.

"We fixed all of your injuries too, even the wound that…" Troy trails off, seemingly not knowing how to finish his sentence.

"Killed me?" I say, guessing how that sentence was supposed to end. He nods and continues.

"You've been in an induced coma for a few days. We had to shock you to bring you out, sorry about that." I smile slightly, still not understanding everything. Then, another question escapes my lips before I even realize it.

"Rye?" Troy nods.

"He's okay." There's a long pause. "He won after you died. He's on his way to Twelve right now." Troy says. I can tell he's keeping something from me by the way he talks.

"Does he know?" I ask. Troy looks to his feet and shakes his head.

"No. Maybe a dozen people other than the rescued tributes know. It's too dangerous." I bury my head in my hands, trying to make sense of all this.

I died in the arena. I was rescued and revived. I've been in a coma. I woke up. I'm alive. Rye doesn't know.

One more question pops into my head.

"You said you rescued more. The others are alive too?" I ask Troy, he look at Cassius and he replies instead of Troy.

"Some of them. They got eight not including you and me." He pauses. "You're the last one to wake up." I nod slowly.

"Who else is alive?" I ask hesitantly, not sure if I want to face the people I've killed. I know there are a lot of them, I wasn't exactly humane in the arena. Cassius take a moment to think and then begins listing off names and districts,

"Athena, the boy from 3, Kai, the girl from 6, both from eight, and both from eleven." Both from eleven. That means my killer, Dale, is alive. For a brief moment rage fills me, but then I remember, I killed both the girl from six and the boy from three. They feel the same way toward me. I dark thought crosses my mind.

_I'm glad most of the kids I killed aren't here._

The evil in that thought scares me, the games changed me. The games made me someone who is glad they don't have to face the kids they murdered. The games make me a coward.


	3. Chapter 3

More information is drilled into me, mostly from Troy. He tells me more details of how exactly they got us out, and how they plan to keep us alive.

"Anyone under sixteen is being sent to foster families after their reconstructions. Anyone older is being supplied with a job and an apartment, in addition to their ID card after the reconstruction. Its the best we can do for now." Troy tells me as Cassius walks out for a minute.

"What do you mean reconstructions?" I ask him. He pauses for a moment before he stands and takes a few steps over to a curtain I hadn't see earlier. I feel much stronger now, the drugs they've been injecting into my veins has done wonders. I take a second to inspect my stomach and raise my white shirt just above the area where the knife would have pierced my abdomen, killing me. I think I'm still in denial. This must be some sort of post-death dream.

There is no sign of there ever being any sort of injury where it should be, apart from a faint scar I wouldn't have seen if I wasn't looking for it. I lower the fabric of my shirt once more and slowly swing my legs over the edge of the bed.

I look up and see Troy has pulled aside the white curtain just enough to peek out. I slowly edge off the bed, gradually applying more of my weight to my legs, until I find myself standing on shaky legs. Every step feels like walking through mud, but I eventually cross the eight feet to the curtain. Troy turns slightly and sees me standing behind him. A grin crosses his face.

"Yeah, you're still you." He says, pulling the curtain across so I can see outside.

"Takes more than a knife to kill me." I say. This causes his smile to fade away quickly. He looks back out the window and steps to the side. I take his place and look out.

Its almost dusk. The sun is just beginning to disappear behind the many buildings of what I recognize to be the Capitol. I took a step back from the window, immediately fearing being seen.

"They know who I am." I tell Troy. He nods.

"That's what the reconstructions are for. We're taking every one of the survivors in and essentially reconstructing them." I nod slowly as he speaks.

"What exactly do you mean by reconstruct?" I ask, an image of myself with mismatched limbs replacing my own. Troy chuckles.

"The reconstructions won't be too invasive, don't worry." I nod slowly and look back out the window.

"You say it's been three days since the games ended?" I ask, not turning back to face Troy. He steps over to stand next to me looking out the window.

"Yeah."

The words take a long time to formulate in my head, and even longer to actually say. My throat is dry and I taste something metallic in my throat.

"How's Rye?"

Troy takes an equally long time to speak. I see his head fall in defeat.

"I think you know." He says. I lean my head against the window frame and watch the lights of billboard and buildings flicker as music plays in the square at the base of the buildings.

I look down and see we're likely twenty stories up, much too high to be seen from below. By the look of the windows I imagine they're one way as well. I can't imagine how the public, let alone the government would react if they figured out we survived the games.

A part of me wonders what they think of me. Do they hate me for loving Cassius? Do they think I'm a hero for helping Rye? The voice in my head tells me I'll find out soon enough, especially if we're to integrate ourselves into the Capitol lifestyle.

The silence between Troy and I is broken suddenly when Cassius enters the room again.

"Everyone is out there. I told them you're awake." I turn and look at Cassius. He looks like he did on the night of the parade. His blonde hair is slightly duller but his eyes and skin still show me he's okay. I get the overwhelming urge to hug him.

I cross the small room in a few strides, feeling much stronger now. I nearly run into Cassius, hugging him tightly when we meet. Even though he was there when I woke, I feel like he could disappear at any time.

Cassius hugs me back and I hear Troy walk up behind us. I removed my arms from Cassius and run a hand through my hair. It's obviously been washed since I died.

Troy softly places a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm not going to lie to you, it's going to be hard seeing everyone. Just remember you, and everyone else, was just fringe to stay alive. Nothing was anyone's fault." Troy tells me. I imagine the faces of the children I killed and a pang of guilt and regret fills me. Then I imagine the scene of Athena next to Cassius. I then see Dale throwing his knife. The knife that killed me.

I know I should forgive them, but I don't. Athena murdered my best friend. Dale murdered me. But I murdered as well.

"You okay?" Cassius asks me. I nod slowly.

"Let's go." I say. Troy steps ahead and opens the door that leads into a narrow hallway. He walks down quickly, I imagine to tell the others in coming.

"What's it like?" I ask Cassius. He turns to look at me. I can tell he doesn't quite understand what I mean.

"seeing them all alive again. I mean we killed them, we saw them die. And now we're just supposed to be okay? I just don't think I can forgive everyone." I say. Cassius nods. He pauses for a moment before he replies.

"You won't forgive everyone. I haven't. But you'll see, everything works itself out." He takes a step out of the doorway before he adds one last comment.

"I almost knocked out Dale when I saw him."

I smile at this and begin to follow Cassius out. My heart is beating in my throat, the beat being the only thing I hear. The hallway reaches a door and Cassius looks back at me as he places his hand on the knob.

"Ready?" He asks. I swallow and nod. He pushes the door open and enters a room. I step in behind him

Hey everyone, I'm really sorry this chapter was up so late. I was going to post last week, but with the events in Ottawa on October 22, I had my mind elsewhere. I'm also really busy with school since midterms are coming up.

Another quick thing, I'll be participating in NANOWRIMO this year, so that will be drastically reducing my amount of free time in November, so unfortunately, updates may be even more infrequent. For those who don't know, NANOWRIMO is a project to encourage people of all ages to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I won last year and I really encourage all of you to do it! Its a challenge, but a lot of fun and really rewarding!

Alright, that's enough rambling for today. Sorry again!

-Alicia


	4. Chapter 4

To my dismay, the hallway isn't really all that long and we only take a few strides to reach the end. Cassius looks at me for a brief second before he enters the room, and I quickly follow behind him.

When I step out I find myself in a large open room, decorated with black couches and light coloured walls. There are people sitting all over the room, but I notice most are near a television set. Everything seems so normal, like nothing is out of place.

That's when it hits me.

Everyone in the room was in the arena.

I scan the profiles of everyone, quickly moving from face to face. The girl from six and the girl and boy from eight are sitting together at a table, looking at a book spread open on the light wood.

Next I see the boy from three, Gourd I think, sitting alone on a couch by a window.

I see Dale and his partner from eleven sitting together watching the television, whispering to each other.

But then my heart stops. I hear a voice from my left call out.

"Oh my God!"

I turn my head and see Athena standing up from a chair facing yet another television. I feel myself go white as memories of watching Athena kill Cassius flash through my mind. I blink away those thoughts, remembering what Cassius told me in my room. I can't blame Athena for trying to stay alive.

Before I know it Athena is hugging me tightly, sobbing into my shoulder. My arms hang awkwardly by my sides and I don't know how to react. the voices in my head are screaming at me to get away, but I remind myself I'm not in the games anymore. I don't have to be scared of a hug. After a few moments Athena releases me and begins wiping tears from her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm sorry. I just…" She trails off, seemingly unable to finish her sentence. Something behind Athena captures my attention and I shift my focus behind her to someone else. Kai.

Kai stands with his arms crossed over his chest. His hair is ruffled and unkempt, but he's alive. Kai flashes me a small smile, but I can't seem to return it. Something seems missing. Even though so many of us are still alive, and that's a miracle in its own right, I can't help but be angry only some of us got out.

"We didn't know if you'd wake up." Kai tells me, sitting back down in his chair. I take a quick look behind me to see everyone in the room watching me. I make eye contact with a few, but in turn they each look away and continue their previous activities and chatting. All but one.

When I look at Dale, I think I see a sneer, but I convince myself I imagined it. I look back to Kai, Athena and Cassius. Cassius pats a spot on the couch next to him and I slowly sit down next to him.

"How did all this happen?" I ask after what feels like an eternity. My throat feels so dry and I can't seem to think of any words. Athena is the first to answer.

"I guess people got tired of seeing kids dying." She suggests with a shrug. Thats when Troy walks up behind her.

"Thats it." Troy says, holding a white mug in his hands. He passes the mug to me and leans against the white wall. I take the hot mug that contains a steaming brown liquid. I smell it, getting a face full of steam and sweet aroma fills my nostrils. I look up at the small group.

"What is it?" I ask, clutching the mug tightly, trying to absorb all its warmth. Athena looks up at me, surprise easy to see on her face.

"You've never had hot chocolate?" She asks me. I shake my head slowly.

"Even the victors in Twelve don't get the same treatment as those in One." Troy explains. He motions for me to take a sip which I do slowly, having learned from burning myself on hot liquids on many occasions in the past. A sweet yet bitter taste fills my mouth as the liquid coats my throat. I hear Kai and Cassius chuckle together as they watch me drink.

"Hey." I quip in reply to their laughs. Cassius quickly puts on a serious expression, but this fades back into laughter again, stronger than before. Soon both Athena and Troy join in. I find myself amused, but I can't bring myself to laugh. No one seems to take notice and the conversation shifts once again to our current situation. The three others seem to be bombarding Troy with questions and I take notice that most of the other tributes have stopped their activities and have been listening in.

"Alright. I get you guys have a lot of questions, and I don't blame you. Let's do this right." Troy walks over to the kitchen area and pulls over a dark metallic stool and places it on the center of the room where he sits. I take a final sip of my beverage and turn myself to face him. I see everyone else do the same. Cassius rests an arm on the top of the couch behind my shoulders, which I feel are still stiff from the medical treatments. The first person to ask a question is Gourd, from Three.

"Why us? Why did you save us ten and not the others?"

"Because you were the easiest to save. I'll explain the process again, in case someone missed it. The trackers were a liquid that deactivates upon death. When you died, we'd rescue your body with the hovercraft as quickly as possible. Once you were in the hovercraft we began revival attempts. We had a very high success rate as long as you were rescued within two minutes." Troy explains.

"Then why isn't anyone from the bloodbath here?" The girl from Six asks. I remind myself to try and remember her name for future use.

Troy is about to answer, when someone behind me speaks.

"Because your heart would have been stopped for too long to bring you up. Some of them had been dead for upwards of half an hour, far too long for any rescue. Keep in mind, we didn't have the best resources the Capitol had to offer, with things being stolen and all." I tense up as the woman speaks. I don't need to turn around to know exactly who's behind me.

Dew.

A chill runs down my spine as I recall my final moments before entering the arena, when Dew revealed her past affiliations with not only district Twelve, but Cliff. I bite my lip hard and have to try hard not to react. I can't bear to look at her, knowing what I've likely done to Cliff, her son.

"Excuse me." I whisper. I stand slowly and dig my nails into my palms, causing my hands to form a tight fist and my knuckles to go bone white. I take many short strides across the room filled with people that were supposed to be dead. People I'd seen die and even killed myself.

I feel hot tears roll silently down my cheeks as I turn the corner and walk quickly to my room. Before I close the door I take a quick look back and see no one has followed me.

I slide into my room and close the door softly behind me before crossing the bed and reaching the window. I draw the curtains back and look over the Capitol, now fully engulfed in the early morning sun. I draw in a shaky breath and let the tears continue their silent occupation of my eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

An undisclosed amount of time passes with myself standing alone in my room watching the sun being its path across the Capitol sky. At one point I hear the door open and close, but whoever entered has not spoken yet. That was a long time ago.

By the time the occupant does speak, the sun is nearly a quarter of the way through the sky, telling me I've seen here for at least an hour or two. It feels like no time has passed at all. My mind is so blank that I simply can't feel anything anymore. I Should feel something at least, anger? Regret? Sadness? Remorse? Thankfulness? Something.

"I'm sorry." Athena says. I'm surprised she came, I would have thought it would have been Cassius or Troy, Athena surprises me.

My mind can't formulate a reply, so i simply continue my gaze out the window.

"I went mad in there. I don't blame you two for leaving, I did at the time, but not anymore. You were right to go." Athena takes a pause to draw a breath and I feel her presence as she stands next to me, joining my gaze out the window.

"That night was horrible. I heard you and Cassius talking about leaving us, but I thought it was a dream. I was so cold that night I couldn't tell reality from confusion. I woke up when the cannon went off and saw Daria was dead. She was so white and cold. Then I saw you and Cassius were gone, and I realized you two had left us for dead." Athena's words finally convince me to look at her. I should feel bad for abandoning the duo that night, but I don't.

"I was so furious," Athena continues, her face growing flushed with old anger. "I spent that day trying to find you both. I don't even remember how I managed to find Cassius, dumb luck I guess. When I found him he was in a panic, saying something about words written in blood. I only found out about you leaving him after I was rescued and watched the highlights. I remember us yelling, me saying horrible things about you. And then everything went out of control. We fought for such a short time but it felt like forever. His sword cut open my chest, and I could taste myself choking on my own blood. As I fell back I shot an arrow and I heard him fall to the ground. I didn't know I killed him. After that, everything just went out." Athena pauses once more.

"I was terrified watching the end of the games. I woke up quickly and I saw the final battle in the morning. Willow… I'm so sorry."

I blink slowly at Athena. Here's someone I loved like a best friend and sister in the arena, and then hated more than anyone ever before. Now I just don't feel anything for her. I'm not grateful, angry or pitying her. Just nothing. My eyes flicker from her face back out the window overlooking the Capitol.

"Why are you telling me this?" I ask her. She takes some time to reply, and she seems just as lost as me.

"I haven't got a clue." She says. In my peripherals I see her step back and sit on the unmade bed I recently awoke from.

We both remain silent for a few minutes until Athena breaks the quiet with a question I'd been expecting.

"Why did you leave when Dew came in? Isn't she your stylist?" She asks. I inhale sharply and let my head hang.

"Something like that." I say quietly, prying my body from the window frame and sitting next to Athena on the bed. My joints are stiff from being still or so long, but I can't seem to dwell on that for long. Athena silently urges me to continue.

"Back in Twelve I was engaged. It all happened so fast, I don't think he even knew what was happening. I shouldn't have volunteered. If I hadn't have volunteered, Rye wouldn't have been picked, I'd never have killed anyone, everything would be fine." The words fall from my mouth in a jumble, and I doubt Athena understood a word of it.

"What about Dew? What does she have to do with this?" She asks me. I inhale deeply and rub my eyes with one hand.

"She was Cliffs mother." I tell her. This gets her to fall silent. I watch her face as she tries to place everything together.

I was engaged to Cliff.

I came here.

I met Dew, Cliffs mother.

I fell in love with Cassius.

I thought I'd never see Cliff or Dew again, but now I'm alive.

Athena's face soon shows understanding and I see her eyes go wide.

"Yeah." I say. "I thought I was going to die, so I didn't hold back. I've known Cassius for less than a month and now I just don't know what to do. I thought Id never see anyone again. I wanted to enjoy my last few days."

"I don't blame you." Athena says, looking back out the window overlooking the Capitol.

"You probably don't want my advice." She says. I ponder this for a moment. I doubt I'm in any condition to think this over myself, but I don't know if I can look at Athena the same way again after I watched her kill Cassius. It couldn't hurt. I nod.

"You need to let Dew talk, if she's mad, I don't blame her. But I don't blame you either. Hell, I did things worse than you in there, and I regret them every day." I nod, but her words make me think. I regret nothing from the arena. That time doesn't seem to bring up any emotion anymore. I feel like I'm remembering it from a third person perspective, like I wasn't really there. Like it was all a dream.

"And as far as Cliff and Cassius are concerned, I don't think I can help you with that. I've never met Cliff and Cassius and I aren't even friends. We just know each other." Athena stands and walks over to the door, she places a pale hand on the knob before she turns around once more.

"I was supposed to tell you we have the transformations later today. You're supposed to be ready soon." With that she slips out of the room and the door clicks shut behind her, leaving me in silence again.


	6. Chapter 6

When I leave my room and re-enter the large living space I see most of the others have left. Sitting by the window is the boy from Six and Athena sits by a television, watching a host, Kosmos, talking. She sees me enter and smiles weakly at me. I cross the room and sit next to her.

"Where is everyone?" I ask her.

"Most already started transformations. A few were taken a few minutes ago. We'll probably be here for a few more minutes." She tells me.

I look to the television where a clip is being voiced over by Kosmos.

"Tonight," He begins, "We will be broadcasting the official funerals of the fallen tributes taking place tonight in Districts One, Two and Three." I turn quickly to Athena, I'd forgotten that we had supposedly died to the rest of the world. We had funerals. Athena bites her lip, and I see her blink away tears.

"They shipped over other bodies, people who were similar height and weight and could be disguised in our caskets. They'll be burying other people in our name. Nobodies from the Capitol morgues." She explains.

"They were someone to somebody." I say, turning back to the television that now shows the stories of the tributes they'll bury tonight.

"Beginning with Cassius, from District One. He was voted most likely to win the games with 32% of the Capitol vote, followed closely by Willow, from District Twelve with 31%. At the opening ceremonies he charmed us all with his looks and confidence, showing no signs of weakness. Then we couldn't ignore his training score of a ten. But I think we can all agree when I say we really loved his relationship with Willow of Twelve. Such a tragic end to a beautiful story of second chances." He pauses as the image of Cassius fades to one of Athena,

"On the topic of tragedy, we have Athena, who suffered from extreme hypothermia while battling the cold of the arena. Her spirit warmed out hearts and her passion led to her end. After Cassius and Willow abandoned her with a dying Daria, she felt a new rage toward the duo. She managed to track down a lost Cassius in search of Willow, who'd left him during the night. Athena and Cassius fought below a spying Willow and eventually Athena met her end." Once again the screen shows a new set of faces, his time Bronte and Knox together.

"Both Bronte and Knox were forces to be reckoned with in the arena, however we never truly got to see their strength as they were taken out during the bloodbath by the remaining Careers and Willow." An image of Cella from Three takes their place.

Kosmos continues recounting her story, but midway through the elevator doors open with a ding and a man in a white uniform steps out.

"You three, your turn." He says and beckons us over with a finger. Athena shuts off the television and we both stand, joining Darrow from Six and the man in white. We step into the elevator and he closes it behind us.

"You've all been assigned a stylist and you'll undergo your transformation. All changes are permanent and for your safety as well as the safety of other rescues." He says as the elevator begins to move downwards.

"Why did you decide to help us?" Darrow asks the man. He looks at the twelve year old and smirks.

"Because I was rescued two years ago. With three others." He says, we all fall silent.

"You were in the games?" Athena asks. The man nods.

"Yohan Drew from Seven. I was one of the lucky ones and was one of the four rescued. That was the first year of the salvage program and I was assigned a job as a cook in the Capitol. Been living here ever since." He tells us.

"I didn't even recognize you." Darrow says. Yohan laughs.

"Thats the point kid." Athena laughs as well and we fall silent. I can't help wonder what I'll look like after, I've hardly ever worn makeup, let alone change my entire appearance. And then I'll be relocated somewhere in the Capitol, forced to live among people who watched me fight for my life for their own entertainment.

The doors of the elevator open and Yohan steps out.

"Last three!" He calls out as we step out of the elevator one at a time. As soon as I step out someone grabs my arm and pulls me away. I grab the hand and twist it back out of reflex from the arena. The woman yelps in shock and releases me. I look up and see someone I should have expected.

Priscilla is standing right in front of me, her hair now a somewhat natural looking blonde, a great improvement from the neon green I'd seen prior to the games.

"Oh, Willow." She begins as she approves me again. This time I let her touch me and she pulls me in for a hug.

"I'm so sorry." She whispers. I know to everyone else it will seem like she's sorry for my dying and Ryes unawareness in this whole situation. But I know there's so much more. I know Priscilla is begging for forgiveness in saying Ryes name when in reality he was never drawn at the reaping. All for a better show. And that's the the Capitol got indeed.

I turn back and see both Athena and Darrow being dragged away by other stylists. Some seem to be from the Capitol like Priscilla, whereas others are obviously rebels who've come to support the rehabilitation of tributes such as myself.

Priscilla begins walking me down the dimly lit cement halls, her shoes clicking rhythmically as she steps.

"How did you find out?" I ask her quietly.

"I'm smarter than I look." She tells me. "I act like a ditz for the cameras, for the public, in reality I'm like a lot of others, fighting in silence." She says. I furrow my eyebrows at her.

"What do you mean, fighting in silence?" I ask her. She shakes her head.

"You'll see tomorrow. Just try and enjoy today, it's your last free day before assignments." She explains. This confuses me more. Priscilla looks over at me and must see the confusion on my face.

"Oh dear, I forgot you've only just woken up. Just trust me and enjoy today." She tells me. She suddenly halts before a gray curtain that covers the entrance to a room. She slips a hand between the wall and the curtain and pulls it aside, gesturing for me to enter.

I slip between the wall and curtain to find myself in another concrete room with harsh white lighting, somewhat similar to my prep rooms before the games began. Priscilla walks in behind me and gestures for me to sit up on a table. I take a few steps back and then sit on the table, observing my surroundings.

"How are you doing?" Priscilla asks me. I look blankly at her. This seems to answer her question.

"Right." She says with a curt nod. "Dew will be here shortly." She continues as she sits in a plastic chair near the curtain.

"What exactly are they going to do?" I ask her.

"Remake you entirely. Hair, eyes, nose, the whole nine yards. They've been experimenting with voice changes, but they haven't been confirmed yet. It shouldn't hurt."

"I'm not particularly worried about pain." I state.

"I'm sure." Theres a long pause where neither of us speak.

"Fenalia took my job." Priscilla says. I look up at her as I try to remember who Fenalia is. Then I remember, she was at the reaping with Amethyst. I had forgotten about her, she seemed so normal compared to other Capitolites, forgettable.

"I'm having trouble sympathising with you." I say. Priscilla is about to reply when a loud grumbling interrupts her. I recognise it as my stomach and wrap an arm around my stomach.

"Sorry, I haven't really eaten much since the games started." I tell her.

An expression of horror registers on her face. Her well manicured hand flies to her mouth and I see her eyes begin to gloss over with tears.

"I'm so sorry." She whispers as she shakes her head. She suddenly stands and turns to exit the room,

"Thats why I'm leaving the Capitol." She says as she draws the curtain aside and quickly walks out.

I don't have long to question her words before the curtain is drawn aside once more and I see Dew enter. My breath catches in my throat when her eyes meet mine. I briefly see Cliff's eyes instead of hers and I avert my gaze downward toward the floor.

"I'm not angry." Dew says. I briefly look up at her. She has her back to me as she fumbles with some tubes of liquid on the counter. She withdraws a syringe and needle as three vials of liquid.

"Blue, green, or brown?" She asks me.

"What?" I ask.

"Eye colour. You pick." She explains. I look at the vials and shrug.

"Green I guess." I say. Dew nods and places two of the vils back on the counter. She turns her back on me again as I watch her hands as they load the syringe with the murky liquid.

"Honestly though, I'm not mad. I don't blame you." Dew says while she turns around, syringe in hand. She inspects the fine tip of the needle and takes a few steps toward me. She places a hand under my chin and inclines my head upward. She then moves her hand to one of my eyes and holds the lids open.

"This will probably hurt." She tells me as she brings the needle near my eye.

"Deep breath." She instructs, I oblige. I inhale deeply as she pierces the top layer of my eye with the needle. I stifle a scream of pain and suddenly the pain is gone.

"Other eye." She tells me as she shifts positions to the other side of my body. I bite my lip, bracing for the painful injection. I comes quickly and dissipates just as soon.

"Thats the worst part." Dew tells me as she removes the needle from the syringe and throws both in a trash bin at the end of the table I sit on.

"Now hair." She says as she opens a cupboard on the wall. She steps aside to allow me a view of the contents of the cupboard, however my entire field of view is a blur with a tinge of green.

"Any colour." She says. I shake my head.

"I can't see anything. Everything is spinning" I tell her. She sighs out of realisation.

"You pick." I tell her. I see her nod and select a bottle of which I cannot see the colour.

Dew grabs my hand and helps me into a standing position, her hand is the only thing keeping me upright through the dizziness. She walks me over a few steps and then helps me sit in another chair.

"If you fall asleep let it happen. It'll help with the process." She instructs.

"The injection changes your eye colour as well as sends instructions to the brain that encourage cell growth. It causes minor changes in facial structure. I could explain the science but it would take quite awhile." Her words fade in and out as I feel a dull throb in my nose.

"We might as well have this conversation now, it'll be easiest." Dew says. Even through my sketchy consciousness I know what she means.

"I thought I would never see him again." I say in a near whisper.

"Neither did I. And then you came." She pauses and she places a cold gel on my head.

"I left soon after he was born. I couldn't handle it. I ran away, as far as I could, and that meant the Capitol. I was living as a homeless woman."

"There are homeless people in the Capitol?" I interrupt. Dew chuckles.

"Of course, but they're hidden from the richest areas of the Capitol. Anyways, I eventually made my way through the ranks of the Capitol and found myself as a stylist for the games. They took a chance on me and sent me in as Eleven. The stylist of the Victor gets first pick of the tribute for the next year. Last year I was the girls stylist of Five, Juliette. I got first pick this year."

"And you picked me." I finish for her.

"I picked you." She pauses. "I had my ways to keep in touch. My husband died in the mines but he had someone keep me informed all these years. I knew about you and Cliff. I had a feeling you'd volunteer."

"How?" I ask.

"You took the tesserae and then gave it to others. You were part of the richest family in the entire district and you donated what you could to the poor without your family knowing. I've never heard of anyone ever doing that. Anyone who does that would no doubt volunteer for a weak child who would no doubt die in the games. I knew you'd volunteer, and I wanted to meet you." As she finishes her words I feel myself fading into sleep as the drugs take their toll on my mind.


	7. Chapter 7

When I wake I see clearly again. I feel odd but when I bring a hand to my face I recall all the treatments I've undergone in the past few hours. I'm still in the room where Dew worked on me, however Dew is nowhere to be seen. I tilt my head behind me to try and find a mirror, luckily there is a full length mirror leaning on the wall near the curtain entrance to the room. I stand and make my way over, hesitant to see the new face that will look me in the eyes.

I don't think I was ready for what I saw. Everything was so different. My entire face has been transformed into someone new, someone (dare I say it) pretty. I don't look like a rugged Twelve, but I look like a natural Capitolite.

My hair is a blonde colour with blunt bangs and a straight cut. Even my hair looks intimidating. My eyebrows have been shaped and dyed to naturally fit the new hair. My eyes are green with flecks of gold near the pupils. Then I see my face as a whole. It's no longer round like my mothers', but has more defined features. I can't help but feel like I'm looking at someone else's reflection and mine is simply being obscured. I almost miss my old appearance. Almost.

"You look gorgeous." Priscilla says. I nearly jump in surprise when she speaks but quickly mask my surprise. I turn to face her and see she's holding a metal tray covered by a black cloth.

"Come, you're ready to be released." Priscilla tells me. She exits the room and I follow, shaky on my new legs.

She leads me to the elevator and we wait in silence for the doors to open. When they do we both enter and Priscilla keys in the floor code. After the elevator begins to move Priscilla speaks.

"I'm so sorry, Willow. But you have to understand I had no choice but to call his name." I don't reply to her pleas for forgiveness. Its not that I'm angry, nor that I've forgiven her, but I simply can't formulate a response. I feel numb to the subject.

"I can't stand this anymore. Seeing all of you right before you get sent off into the arena, it may not seem like it, but the escorts really do care." This statement makes me scoff. I see Priscilla make a face and she falls silent.

When the doors of the elevator open I see night has fallen. Priscilla walks out from behind me and places the metal tray on the long dining table.

"Most of the others have already eaten, I'll fetch the others." She tells me as she walks down the hall toward the other rooms. I hear her shoes clicking softly as she walks. It's odd to see her dressed as a normal person, and not an escort. I never thought they had lives outside their duties in the games.

I peel back the black cloth that covers the tray and find an impressive display of food laid out on the tray. Meats and cheeses are accompanied by fruits I don't recognize. As I inspect the food I hear a familiar voice call out behind me.

"Willow?" I hear Cassius call. I quickly turn around and see a man with short, messy black hair and blue eyes inspecting me. His nose is larger than average but suits his face.

"Oh my god." I say in a near whisper.

"I would never have known." I take a few steps toward him.

"You look so different." He tells me, I look up at him.

"You're one to talk." I say as I pull him into a hug. It feels good to hug someone again.I close my eyes and wish I could feel something, anything. I haven't felt any real emotions since I woke up, and it leaves me feeling empty and alone, even when I'm next to someone I trust with my life.

The elevator door opens with a ding and both Cassius and I turn to see who will emerge with a new face. A girl with long, wavy light brown hair exits the elevator, looking around the room as she does. I immediately assume she's Athena when she meets my eyes. Her eyes are now hazel and her skin is much paler than before. Athena quickly crosses the floor to inspect our new faces more closely.

"This is so weird." She says. Cassius chuckles.

"Its been weird for awhile now." He counters.

"Fair point." Athena says. After a moment a few more people emerge from their respective rooms into the dining hall. Altogether there are six of us. Priscilla returns and tells us to eat and that tomorrow we'll be assigned our relocations within the Capitol. The taught is daunting, we'll have to continue on with our lives in the very place we despise most in all of Panem.

I take my seat between Cassius and a girl I no longer recognize thanks to her transformation. As we all take servings of the food in the middle of the table the room falls silent apart from the sounds of chewing and slurping. I'm reminded of the comment Priscilla made on the train to the Capitol about Rye and I having good manners, I see that in place now. I'm the only one using all my utensils and pausing between bites. Everyone else, apart from Cassius and Athena who I assume were taught manners in one, is eating with their hands and chewing with open mouths.

After the silence has become deafening I turn to Cassius beside me.

"They assign us jobs within the Capitol, right?" I ask him. He finishes chewing his bite of a vegetable I've never seen before and then replies.

"Yeah, everything from shop employees to peacekeepers. They give us something they think we'll be good at." He tells me.

"I even heard there's going to be a stylist position!" Athena says excitedly. Cassius raises an eyebrow.

"Honey, I think I'm a shoe in for that one." Cassius says with a flamboyant tone. Athena laughs and I almost smile. Almost. I notice that everyone else at the table is staring down at their plates, not engaging with anything but their meals. I realize I've only taken a few bites of mine and decide it's probably best I eat, saying how I've been living on hardly anything since the games started.

I take a bite of something I recognize, a red apple. I can't imagine the food they have in the Capitol. Right now we're essentially refugees getting scrapa compared to what's available out there. The thought of not being able to recognize food scares me more than it should.

"We'll need new names." The girl beside me pipes up. I turn to look at her. She's been given red curly hair and green eyes.

"She's right. You think they'll let us pick?" A boy sitting across from me adds. Unlike the others he's been given a more unnatural style, he has white hair and blue eyes, I assume they have something in the entertainment business lines up for him.

"Why don't we pick ourselves?" Athena suggests. No one protests.

"Everyone write down a few names and put them in the middle, then everyone picks a new name at random." Athena instructs as she stands and finds a pile of papers and pens on the side table near one of the televisions. She passes some to each of the six of us. Cassius shoots me an amused look at Athenas enthusiasm.

I look at my paper and try to think of names that would fit someone in the Capitol. I jot down the first three that some to my mind and toss the slips of paper into the middle. After a minute of two everyone is finished and looks at the small pile in the middle.

"I'll go first." Athena says and she reaches forward into the pile. She selects a paper and reads it aloud.

"Lea." She pauses. "I can see that."

The red haired girl next to me leans in and take her own paper.

"Isadora, better than Ashina." She says with a shrug. Ashina. My heart skips a beat when I realize she's one of the tributes I killed in the arena.

When I hear the white haired boy speak again, announcing his new name is Shea I realize he's Gourd from Three, another kill of mine.

Cassius goes next and announces his new name; "Cal." He nudges me and encourages me to go next. I do. When I select a paper I realize my name for the rest of my life is written on this paper. It's weird, but I find that thought scary. I open the slip of paper and read the name to myself.

"Anastasia." I say aloud. I like it. The last one to go is Cora, the girl from Eleven. She's kept her skin tone but now has her hair done is braids, with the occasional one being a bright colour. I can't say I'm fond of her district partner Dale, but she seems nice enough.

"Apollonia." She announces, I recognize that name as one that I wrote down. After a few minutes of small talk Gourd, or Shea now, stands and yawns, telling us he's going to his room for the night. We all agree and go our own ways for the night. I stay behind for a few minutes and watch the nightlife below in the Capitol. They all seem so carefree and oblivious to the fact that they enjoyed the supposed murder of twenty three youth a few days ago. On one of the large screens below I see highlights of the games being shown, most of which I'm in. After I can no longer watch I turn and head toward my room.


	8. Chapter 8

As I walk by one of the doors I hear a quiet sob. I stop walking and press my ear to the door. I hear the sob again and then a voice.

"I'm so sorry." I immediately recognize the voice as Athena. I remove my ear from the door and knock gently. All sound in the room stops and I hear a pair of footsteps approach the door.

Her new face appears and it takes me off guard for a moment, I'm still not used to the new faces.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, noticing the wet lines on her face.

"Fine." She says curtly, her tone higher than usual, as she begins to close his door. I slip my hand in the way before the door closes and prevent her from closing it.

"Let me help." I tell her, looking her in the eyes. She sighs and opens the door, allowing me access. Her room is similar to mine, however hers lacks the many medical machines that mine holds.

She closes the door behind me and crosses her arms over her chest as she looks at me, a slow stream of tears creating a shiny path down her face. We stand in silence for a few moments before I speak.

"I'm not very good at this." I announce, hoping to change the mood.

"I gathered." Athena says in reply, her voice sounding tired and beyond hope. I run a hand through my hair, slightly surprised when I find the new strands of thin hair as opposed to my usual thick locks.

"How do you take it so well?" Athena asks me in desperation. Her tone is exhausted and I can tell theres something seriously wrong.

"What do you mean?" I ask her, taking a step toward her. Athena rolls her eyes, which I take as a good sign.

"I mean all of this." She gestures around us at the room we're standing in. "You woke up this morning after we were supposed to be dead, found out your brother albeit everyone else thinks we're still dead, get completely made over and told you'll have a completely new life and here you are, fine and dandy. How the hell are you not messed up?" Athena stands panting after nearly yelling her speech. I stand before her, stunned by her words. She'd been so happy all day, showing no signs at all of being scared or affected by this. I look to my feet and still feel the blank, affectless feeling sitting deep within me. I raise my focus once more to Athena.

"I don't feel anything." I tell her. "Its like I'm watching a film, totally removed from what's going on, just along for the ride. I feel like I haven't registered what's happening." Athena scoffs.

"You have no idea how much I envy you right now." Her words confuse me, and I feel this is evident on my expression.

"You envy me? I don't care that I killed eight kids in the past week. I don't care that my entire family thinks I'm dead. I don't care that my brother is alive somewhere out there, thinking I died in his arms! I don't care that my fiance watched me fall in love with someone else! I don't care about anything at all and you envy me?" I'm shouting loudly when I stop, and Athena seems so small I could crush her between my fingers. I glare at her for a good minute before I open the door to her room and storm out, not regretting a single word I said. I slam the door behind me and see a girl poke her head out from her own room. She sees me and quickly closes her door once more.

My heart is beating so loudly I can hardly stand it. The rhythmic beat reminds me of how I shouldn't be alive, how I should be cold in a casket by now. I find my feet absentmindedly carrying me somewhere, and it isn't until I stand in front of a door until I realize where I am, or rather with who I want to be. My hand is raised in a fist in front of a door after knocking three short taps on the processed wood. After a moment Cassius' new face opens the door. I quickly launch myself toward him, needing some sort of comfort, some sort of feeling.

He takes a few steps back in surprise before I feel him lay a hand over my shoulder and back, embracing me. He closes the door softly behind me and we stand in silence for what feels like a long time.

"This is so wrong." I whisper, more to myself than anything else. Cassius' grip on me tightens.

"What's wrong?" He asks me. I don't reply.

Another long period of time passes before he speaks to me.

"It'll get easier." I shake my head slightly.

"I should go." I say, unwillingly removing myself from Cassius' arms.

"You never told me what was wrong." He says. I look at him with his new face. He looks so stern and intimidating right now, with his black hair messy from what I assume was sleep. He'd make a good politician from his looks, intimidating and stern. He looks like someone who would stick to their guns.

I look to the ground, trying to formulate a reply however no words seem to describe my feelings, or lack there of.

"How do you feel about all this?" I ask Cassius, studying his new light blue eyes. He pauses for a moment, thinking over the question I just asked.

"Shame." He decides. "My little sister is going to be living alone and afraid, while I'm here, living among the richest people in Pamen while for all I know she could be alone in the streets." I see him zone out for a moment, his eyes focusing on something in the distance that I can't see.

"Tell me about her." I request, realizing I hardly know anything about Cassius outside of the games. He looks at me briefly and then zones out once more.

"She's thirteen. You wouldn't be able to tell from just seeing her though, she looks about sixteen. Although she's nothing like me. She's a brunette for starters and the sassiest kid I've ever met. But she's sad. She was only really getting to know our parents, they left when I was reaping age, I was twelve and she was seven. She would wake up in the night calling for our dad and I'd have to remind her it was just us. It killed me every night. We were far from rich, but we were off the streets. I had a job in a brewery, crafting beers for the Capitol. She took jobs here and there selling perfumes, they took a cute kid and guilted others into buying goods from her. We never starved and were happy for the most part. But then I lost my job. It was hard to make ends meet and I couldn't pay the rent anymore. One is expensive to live in. I was sixteen and knew the only way to be able to secure a good life for both of us was to enter the games. I enrolled in one of the illegal training schools in the district. The night before my reaping I told her what I was going to do. She cried a lot that night. I can't say she was the only one. When she came to see me in the visiting rooms I told her to lock the doors and stay inside while I was gone and not to talk to anyone unless they promised her something in return. She was so sweet and innocent. And now she's afraid and alone." When he finishes his eyes are distant and glossy as silent tears cascade down his cheeks. His lips quiver with his final words.

I want to comfort him in some way but despite only knowing Cassius for a short period of time I know he'll find more comfort in touch. I pull him into a hug and I can tell this was the right thing to do as his sobs begin to dissipate after a few moments.

"Look at me blubbering like a baby right in front of you." He says when we separate, drying his eyes with the sleeve of his white, long sleeved shirt.

"What's her name?" I ask Cassius and he looks at me seriously for a moment.

"Reina." He says as I watch his face go distant once more. We stand in silence until a loud bang erupts from outside the window. Cassius remains where he is, now sobered from his distant mindset while I quickly walk over to the window and peek out at the Capitol below.

It's dark apart from the artificial lights of the many neon screens that have begun to flicker from their videos and a white screen. I watch as a large group of people in white uniforms run into the square and tackle two others to the ground. I cover my mouth with a hand as I hear two more bangs and watch the peacekeepers drag the two limp forms away. I look back at the screen and see the white has taken over, displaying a line of red writing over the white background.

I have to squint to read the writing but it soon comes into focus and I read the words:

'Free the Mellarks'


	9. Chapter 9

By the time Cassius comes to join me by the window the screens have changed back to their prior broadcasts, which in this case is a recap of Athena and Cassius' funerals.

My heart is beating loudly in my chest when Cassius joins my side.

"What happened?" He asks me. I look up at him, wondering how he knew about the message on the screens from his distance. I quickly realize he was simply referring to the commotion outside and recompose myself.

"Oh. Must have been some rioters or something. Peacekeepers took them away." I tell him, focusing on the people below. Many of them are making their way out of the square, likely wanting to avoid any more possible violence. I don't notice my shaking until Cassius grabs my hand.

"You okay?" He asks me. "You're trembling."

I shake my head quickly and look up at him.

"Fine." I say a little too quickly, causing him to give me a look that tells me he has doubts.

"I should be asking you if you're okay." I reply.

"Did you watch your funeral?" I ask him. He turns and leans his back on the glass of the window and crosses his arms.

"I thought about it. Some of the others did, but I couldn't. I didn't want to see a bunch of people pretending to be sad about my 'death'. But I really didn't want to see my sister standing alone." His voice is terribly sad when he mentions his sister but he quickly continues.

"Enough of this sad stuff. We'll have time for that later." He raises a hand to my face and brushes away a strand of hair that has fallen over my cheek.

"See you in the morning." He says before giving me a quick kiss. I try and smile, but my mind refuses to relay the message to my muscles. Cassius frowns slightly and I make my way to the door. Before I leave he says one last thing.

"You know, I think I've always had a thing for blondes." I look back at him and he shoots me a wink.

"So do a lot of guys, get in line." I reply flirtatiously, surprised I could do that and yet not be able to smile.

I slip out of his room and make my way back to my own room. The halls are lit by a dim line of lights on the ceiling, just bright enough to illuminate the floors. The words on the screen occupy my thoughts as I walk alone.

Free the Mellarks. The people of the district were chanting that at my reaping, and Dew told me how the public knew my parents were being manipulated by the government, but I always thought that expression was only used for Rye and I referring to our freedom from the games. I find it troubling that it seems to have gone much further than this.

When I reach my room I find my hands shaking heavily. So much so that it takes me longer than it should to successfully open my door. I turn on the lights with a switch and find the medical machines have been removed from my bedside. I walk over to the bed and find a pair of black pyjama pants and a white shirt, similar to those Cassius was wearing. I strip and re-dress, enjoying the feeling of fresh clothes. I'd been wearing the same clothes my entire time in the arena, and I presume the same clothes since I was brought here until I woke up early today.

I'm reminded of how long a day it's been when a long yawn exits my lungs. I gladly pull the sheets of the bed back and lay down only to remember I left the lights on. I groan and get up, crossing the cold tile floor with bare feet. When I reach the switch I feel something odd beneath one of my feet and look down to see a folded piece of paper on the ground. I bend over and pick up the paper and unfold it, revealing a paragraph of writing.

_Willow,_

_You're the only friend I've got. I'm so sorry. I don't blame you if you hate me, but this is so hard for me. Not that it isn't hard for you too, but this is all so new. Please forgive me._

_-Athena_

I resold the paper in two and ponder Athena's note. I don't hate her, but her comments bothered me. I sigh and decide to let it be and flick off the light switch. I carefully make my way back to the bed and place the note on the table beside my bed. I pull up the covers and roll over, enjoying the comfort of a real bed for the first time in what feels like an eternity.

I fall asleep with thoughts of Rye and the words 'Free the Mellarks' occupying my thoughts.

The next morning I'm awoken by the smells of cooking that drift into my room. I rub my eyes with a relaxed fist and open them to find the room is almost completely bright. I see from a clock on the wall that it's nearly eleven, a remarkable time for me to sleep until, saying how I'm usually an early riser.

I swing my feet over the edge of the bed and run a hand through my hair, surprised once again to feel the new strands inserted of the ones I've known for eighteen years. I notice a small bag by the door and cross the room to retrieve it.

Inside the white bag I find an olive green

t-shirt and a pair of black pants. I quickly change into the clothes, once again pleased to smell detergent and feel the softness of new clothes. There's no mirror in the room, so I do my best to detangle my hair with my fingers before I exit my room.

As I get closer to the main area of the floor we occupy I hear voices grow louder, however they all seem cheerful.

"And then she said; Where did the bag of apples go?" I recognize this voice as that belonging to the newly named Apollonia, or Cora, from Eleven.

"And then the guy said; With the dog!" A round of laughter erupts from the room after I hear Dale make another comment. I feel my heart rate pick up when I hear his voice. I can't help but feel some disdain for the boy, saying how he did kill me and all.

I turn the corner and see nearly everyone sitting around a table, with some standing in the kitchen area huddled around a stove. Apollonia takes notice of me when I enter the room and waves me over.

"Anastasia, come over. Dale and I were just telling how eight bags of apples went missing last year, and it turned out a dog was behind it all." Apollonia calls, gesturing to an empty seat between her and Dale. I hesitantly make my way over and attempt to flash her a smile.

"So what's it like in Twelve?" A boy from across the table asks me. I shrug as I sit next to Apollonia.

"It's nothing special really." I begin. I can see based in others looks they are legitimately interested so I do my best to describe my district.

"There are a lot of woods around, but they're supposed to be restricted. My mother would take me out sometimes. But really there are the mines. I've only been down once or twice but they're what you'd expect; dark and dirty." I pause, trying to think of other details to add.

"The people are mostly nice, there's a lot of poverty so people like to share what they have."

"Is it true Twelve has the highest tesserae reared in Panem?" The redheaded girl named Isadora asks.

"Probably, there are a lot of big families so most kids take it." I explain.

"Did you?" Shea asks. The girl sitting next to him elbows him in the ribs.

"Her parents are both Victors, of course not you idiot." She tells him in a loud whisper.

"I did." I reply. This causes everyone around the table to look at me. This makes me feel quite awkward, but I continue.

"I felt bad having enough food when everyone else was starving. I took tesserae and would give the supplies to kids so they could make it a little easier."

Everyone remains silent and watches me for a moment. Suddenly a plate of food is placed on the table in front of me. I look up and see Cassius standing behind me with a grin on his face.

"Thanks." I say, and gratefully look down at the plate. I recognize the toast and egg on the plate but am confused at the sight of a pair of brown strips on the plate.

"Never seen bacon before?" Dale asks me. I look up quickly and see he no longer looks like the person who killed me, but an attractive looking guy I'd expect to wear a suit everyday.

"Try it." Apollonia encourages me. I hesitantly pick up one of the strips and bite off a piece. I instantly spit it out when the saltiness overwhelms my taste buds. A laughter fills the room and I feel myself turn beet red.

"I'll take it then." I hear Troy says when a hand reaches over and snatches both strips of bacon from my plate. I pick up a piece of toast and look up at my mentor as he chews the meat.

"Your job postings will be posted by Dew today. We tried to give you something you'd like, but our options are limited. I've got to head back to Twelve today so you'll be with Dew from now on. I'll try to keep in touch as best as I can, but you'll all have to try and integrate yourselves on your own, it'll be hard but worth it." Troy takes another large bite of his stolen bacon.

"You'll each get a thousand in currency to get you started in the Capitol, then you'll be on your own for finances. Gourd and Aymeline I've talked to you before, your foster homes will be coming soon. As you the rest of you, we've got four apartments and a job for each of you lines up." I immediately realize there will be two of us to an apartment and I can't help but wonder who I'll live with.

Troy take a look over his shoulder at a clock on the wall.

"Shit, I have to go, but good luck all of you. Stay out of trouble." He says as he grabs his leather briefcase and swings the strap over his shoulder. I watch him walk over to the elevators and wait for one to arrive.

I owe him my life. We all do.


	10. Chapter 10

Most of today is spent chatting amongst ourselves and watching television. I've learned a lot from today, particularly that Dale isn't as horrible as a human being as I thought. Really, I only hated him because he killed me, but after talking to him I realized he and I are incredibly similar in our motivations. he wanted to win the money for his younger brothers.

I've spent much of the day catching up with Kai, who has now claimed the new name Jasper. He was killed early on, so he watched most of the games live from here, unaware of plans that were being formed within the arena.

"I didn't think you and Cassius would leave Athena and Daria behind, I figured you'd end up coming back." He says. I find myself toying with a pencil, manipulating it aimlessly between my fingers as we talk.

"It was a tough decision, but we knew we'd have to eventually." I reply, my voice lacking almost all emotion.

"Did you know Daria well?" I ask him, afraid to meet his new brown eyes. He wears glasses now, however I don't know if they're prescription or not.

"Yeah, we worked together on a trawler ship." he says. I look up at him curiously.

"Trawler?" I ask, unfamiliar with the term.

"Boats that drag nets to catch fish, there aren't a lot of them, most of the fishing is done with small boats, but there are still a few." He explains.

My attention is suddenly averted to the television when I hear Ryes name.

"Today we'll be re showing the Victor ceremony of the victor of the Ninety-Fourth Hunger Games, Rye Mellark!" One of the hosts, Deion announces. I sit up straighter and notice most people in the room have ceased their conversations and are watching me. I ignore them as my heart rate picks up as I await seeing my brother.

"As you all know, the end of the games was quite tragic, with Ryes beloved sister being one of his two remaining opponents. After she was mortally wounded by Dale of district Eleven Rye proceeded to kill Dale, leaving him alone with his dying sister." Deion explains as the camera cinematically circles the stands of Capitolites awaiting the crowning ceremony.

"Rye was obviously quite affected by his sisters role in the games, as it was revealed during her final moments that she'd spent her time in the games trying to protect him from a distance. We also saw the tearful goodbyes to her fiance from home, Cliff Narin." The camera begins to focus on President Arevalo as she takes her place at the podium. I take slight notice of the silent tears that wet my cheeks as she begins to introduce my brother.

"After overcoming the many difficult trials that were contained within the arena, our sole Victor is to be honoured and crowned victorious today, before all of Panem. He represents the ideal of Panem and demonstrates the ideals of our youth, strength, valor, and perseverance in the face of adversity." She pauses to allow a round of applause as I watch Rye walk out onto the stage, and is left standing before a throne-like chair made of what appears to be gold. I watch as the cameras zoom in on his face, which looks older than I've ever seen. His eyes are red and swollen, even despite the massive amounts of makeup that have been applied to mask his faults. I notice my chain with Cliffs ring around his neck and I find some comfort in this.

The president withdraws a wooden box and holds it for the cameras to see.

"This Victors crown has been awarded to each Victor of the Games since the first annual Hunger Games. Today we award it to Rye Mellark, the third Mellark to win the crown." Again there are applause as the room I sit in is completely silent. I am vaguely aware of Cassius sitting next to me, taking Kai's spot, but my focus is on the video of my brother, who seems to be a lifetime away.

Rye stands and the president approaches him with the crown. Every inch of my being is screaming out at me to look away, but I simply can't. The president shares a few inaudible words with Rye, to which he doesn't reply. I look down at his hands, which I see are clenched tightly in fists, but i notice his knuckles are red and scabed, he's been violent recently.

The president places the crown on his head and the crowd applauds for a long time before the camera cuts back to Deion in the studio.

"We'll be back tonight to cover the funerals of District's Four, Five, and Six. These include Daria and Kai, both of whom were in the group of so called Careers during their time in the games. We'll also bid farewell to the young Shawna and Albert of five as well as Ashina and Darrow of Six. We hope to see you tonight." The screen cuts over to advertisements and someone turns it off.

The room remains silent as I continue to stare at the blank screen that had just showed me my brother.

Eventually the others fade back into conversation while Cassius continues to sit with me in silence on the couch.

"He looked horrible." I say in a near whisper.

"He's probably beating himself up over this. He does think you're dead after all." Cassius says. I shoot him a glare to show him that his words don't help.

"Sorry." He says instinctively and we resume our silence.

After what I predict was five minutes, theres a ding at the elevator. I turn my head and see Dew walk out with a file folder open in her hands. The room goes silent when we all realize what this means. We're about to get our job assignments. Dew looks up from her papers and waves one in the air.

"I've got your jobs." She announces with a smile. This is the happiest I think I've ever seen her. She brings down the paper and clears her throat.

"Cassius, or Cal Yule now, you'll be a Peacekeeper." I look over to Cassius and I see him smiling, obviously happy with his placement.

"Athena, or Lea Elder, you're an apprentice stylist for District Nine." Athena gasps and smiles brightly, I look up at her as she can hardly stand still. Dew laughs and continues reading off her list.

"Gourd, your new family will be up shortly to take you as well as Aymeline. Kai, you're now Jasper Lascius and you'll be training as a chef in one of the restaurants in the square, you'll be shown which later." Kai is smiling as well. So far all the placements really fit the individual, I find myself anxiously wringing my hands in anticipation of my job.

"Ashina, you're Isadora Wellwood and a shopkeeper, again I'll show you later. Leo, you'll be a shopkeeper as well and called Case Sutherland. Dale, you're Lennox Dunnet and you'll be working as a game maker." Dew closes her folder and addresses us again.

"You'll all be leaving for your apartments and homes tonight. I'll show you all your new places of work. Some of you will have an official from your job meet you tomorrow, especially the peacekeepers. Some of the peacekeepers could be deployed as soon as the day after tomorrow. If you have any belongings pack them now, we leave in an hour." Dew says. A feeling of confusion surges through me. I didnt get a job. I try and catch Dews eye, but she quickly closes her folder and makes her way over to Apollonia first. She talks to her briefly and I see a look of panic cross Apollonia's face. Dew then makes her way over to me and I feel my heart pick up. She looks at Cassius and he takes the hint. He gives me a look of support and stands, going over to talk with Athena.

"Come with me." Dew says. I quickly stand and take a look over my shoulder at Cassius and Athena. I see both of them look at me with faces that tell me they're just as confused as I am. I take notice of Apollonia who is also following Dew.

"Do you know what this is about?" She asks me. I shake my head.

"No idea." I tell her.

Dew turns into a room and closes the door behind us, leaving us to talk freely.

"What's this about?" Apollonia asks as soon as Dew turns to face us.

"Everything is alright." Dew assures us, rubbing her forehead. She looks at both of us in turn, a serious expression on her face.

"You two have been assigned a very important task." She tells us.

"You both have been assigned as Presidential Peacekeepers, part of President Arevalo's personal security team."

"Why?" I ask her, confused at the whole situation.

"Because you're both smart, and you both are capable of this." Dew tells me.

"You're going to have to gain her trust, do whatever it takes to get her to respect you. It's crucial you get close to her and that she trusts you."

"Why do we need to get close to her? You don't want us to assassinate her or something, right?" Apollonia asks. Dew shakes her head.

"No, nothing like that. Well, actually kind of. We need you to get close to her so you can convince her the districts are at the risk of rebelling. We need you to convince her to end the games, eradicate the district system and untie Panem as one again. We need to stop this before it turns into an anarchy."

"You want us to change Panem." I confirm. Dew looks me in the eyes.

"I want you to bring it back to it's former glory."


	11. Chapter 11

I sit alone in my room for the next forty-five minutes. I don't have a single thing to bring with me, I gave my token to Rye in the arena and I've only been here a day, and haven't acquired any possessions.

I think over what Dew has told me. My task is to befriend the President and convince her to essentially reform Panem by removing the District system. A part of me wants this to happen, I hate the games and I hate the poverty we're forced to live in. But another part of me doesn't want to be the one to do it. I'm not like my mother, I'm not a revolutionary and I'm not a leader.

There's suddenly a knock on my door. I quickly stand and cross the room, to open the door and see Apollonia on the other side. She smiles at me politely and speaks,

"It's time to go." She says. I nod and exit my room.

"What do you think of all this?" Apollonia asks me as we slowly walk down the hall together. I shake my head as I stuff my hands in my pockets.

"I don't like how we can't tell anyone." I begin.

"And I don't know if I can handle it." I add. Apollonia nods.

"I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other then." She says with a chuckle.

"Yeah." I say quietly. I finger the piece of paper Dew gave me in the room after she explained us our roles. On it is my backstory. Since we're working so close to the president we were harder to sneak in, so we had others apply in our position while the games were happening.

According to the sheet, I'm a district Two transfer who was top of her class. I've been a peacekeeper for two years and have been in the mayors squad for the last six months.

When Apollonia and I enter the large room only a few people are missing. I notice that both the youngest, Gourd and Aymeline, have been taken already. I notice that both Cassius and Kai are missing as well, but apart from them everyone is present. I notice Dew speaking with Athena and Dale.

"You'll get to see your brother again." Apollonia whispers next to me. I quickly turn to look at her, confusion and slight anger on my face. Before I get the chance to engage with her Cassius and Kai appear from a door behind Apollonia. She looks behind her, sees them and smiles knowingly at me. She looks over and sees Dale, quickly walking over to greet her old District partner. I look back at her briefly before Cassius and Kai approach me.

"Hey," Kai says with a smile.

"Hey," I reply quietly. Suddenly I feel as though all the energy within me has drained, leaving me in a tied state.

Dew takes notice of Cassius and Kai and clears her throat.

"Now that you're all here we can get going. It's about five now, so it'll be getting dark soon, let's go." She pulls out a sheet of paper and calls the elevators.

"Everyone meet me on the first floor." She instructs as the doors open. about half of the others get in, leaving myself, Cassius, Kai, and Athena waiting in silence for another lift. After about a minute of silence there's a ding and the doors open. I get in last and click the button labeled One.

"We're finally leaving." Kai says aloud.

"Kind of terrifying." Athen adds. I feel my heart racing in anticipation of what is coming. When the doors of the elevator open the four of us step out and get our first look at the Capitol from ground level through the large glass windows of the lobby.

"This was a large office tower, but has been rented out for the past ten years, we recently secured a five year rent for a decent price, so this building will act as a home base for all rescue operations. If ever you feel endangered or at risk of being discovered, come here." Dew tells the group before she opens the glass door.

"Let's head out." She pushes open the door and we all begin to follow her out into the Capitol. My hands are shaking, only to be stopped when Cassius grabs one in his own. I look at him and mouth the words thank-you before walking out of the doors myself.

The sun is on it's way down below the horizon, but the sky has yet to give off it's orange glow of sunset. I assume we have about an hour before dark, however it would likely not be a problem given the immense amount of artificial light the Capitol produces.

Dew begins to walk us through the square our building took watch over. I'm surprised by how many people there are in the square, I find myself brushing shoulders with more strangers than I've ever really seen before. The first few times I mutter an apology, but after never hearing a reply, I realize this is probably regarded as odd behaviour.

I remove my hand from Cassius' and quickly doge people until I reach Dew.

"Won't people find it odd that you're pointing out where we'll work and everything? Won't someone think its weird?" I ask Dew in a hushed tone. She looks up at me briefly before turning her eyes back to her open folder.

"Please, everyone in this city is either too drunk to notice or too rich to care. Don't worry about it." She tells me. I nod and fall back to Cassius, Athena and Kai. After a few minutes of walking the crowd begins to think out and we reach a line of stores and cafes. Dew turns around and begins to walk backwards.

"Jasper, this is where you'll be working." Dew says as she points to a restaurant on the corner of the street. Kai smiles and nods, obviously content with his new job.

"Isadora and Case, you'll be at this store here." Dew adds pointing to another building about halfway down the block." She closes her folder and looks at the remainder of us.

"The rest of you will be called upon for your jobs. An escort will find you and bring you there in the coming days. Apollonia and Anastasia," Dew pauses, meeting both of our eyes. "You'll be called on tomorrow morning, seven AM." I nod and Dew watches me for a moment before she continues.

"Now, to your apartments." She says as she turns around and continues walking quickly.

After another ten minutes we reach a block of apartment buildings that stand taller than any building I've seen before.

Dew halts at the entrance to the first building.

"Apollona and Lennox, floor eighteen room 1845A." She pulls out a key from her pocket and holds it in front of her. I briefly meet Apollonias eyes and she bites her lower lip.

"See you tomorrow." She says to me and I nod solemnly. Dale grabs their key from Dew and they both enter the building together. I watch as Apollonia dissapears behind the closing door and we continue walking down the block. Dew stops at the enterance to another building.

"Case and Isadora, Floor ten room 1005B." She reads, holding out another key for them. I watch the pair take their key and slowly walk into their new building. It's just the four of us left, the Careers. I could be roomed with any of these four and be happy. I know I'll likely be paired with Kai, they'll probably want to keep the District partners together, leaving only Cassius and Athena as a pair.

At the next building Dew stops once more and pulls out two sets of keys.

"Jasper and Lea, you two are on floor seven, room 723." She says. I look at Cassius quickly, we'll be together in a room. I know I should be happy, but my hands begin to shake again. Athena turns to me and gives me a hug, which I return.

"Thanks for being my ally." She whispers. I hug her tighter in reply, finding no words to return.

"See you around." Athena says as she breaks the hug. I try to smile but my muscles refuse once more.

"See you, Lea." I say and Athena smiles.

"See you, Anastasia."

I watch Athena walk away with Kai as he pulls her into a side hug. I'm reminded of when I shared a side hug with Rye during our tribute parade.

"You two, floor twenty, room 2003." Dew says as she hands the last key to Cassius. I meet her eyes and she gives me a wink. cassius grabs my hand and begins walking to the entrance that Athena and Kai just used, but I turn to face him.

"I'll meet you up there in a second." I tell him. He looks at me for a second before nodding and continuing his walk towards our new apartment. I turn to look at Dew.

"Thank you." I say quietly.

"You almost didn't make it." She says unexpedly. Confused, I look her in the eyes.

"We almost couldn't get to you, when you died." She continues. "In all the excitement of the finale it was hard to get the hovercraft in. When we finally got you, you'd been dead for almost five minutes. You were in the induced coma for so long because you were so close to dying. Honestly, I'm surprised you made it out alive." She tells me. I see a tear begin to form in the corner of one of her eyes.

"I don't know what kept you strong, but I'm glad you did." She adds, smiling sadly at me.

"After all this is over, after we convince Arvelo, I'll go back to Twelve. I'll find Rye and Cliff and tell them about you." I promise to her. After this she hugs me tightly, like a mother would when saying goodbye to a daughter. Like my mother would have if she had the chance before I was sent off to the games.

"Good luck."


	12. Chapter 12

Authors Note: Sorry, I usually don't like having authors notes at all, let alone in the beginning, but I just wanted to say that I think this is my favourite chapter I've written in either story, just saying. Enjoy!

When I meet Cassius at our door we both look around our new home. There's everything you'd expect, a kitchen, a living room, a washroom and a bedroom.

"There's only one bedroom." Cassius says, stating the obvious.

"There's only one bed." I add, crossing my arms over my chest. Cassius grabs my hand and winks at me while making a clicking sound with his teeth.

"What a pity." He says as he pulls me with him and I land on top of him on the plush bed. We both erupt in a fit of laughter together before I suddenly stop.

"What's wrong?" He asks, running a hand up and down my arm.

"Nothing," I say as I shake my head. "That's just the first time I've laughed in a long time." Cassius smiles at me and kisses me passionately.

I sense things could go fairly far in the next few minutes and I wish I could, but the voice within me tells me to stop. An image of Cliff fills my mind and I pull away from Cassius.

"Let's see what else we have here." I suggest, trying to cover for my lack of passion. He smirks and we both stand and tour the apartment.

Cassius stops in the kitchen and open the silver fridge.

"Holy crap." He says. I look up from a magazine that was laying on the counter and try to look inside the fridge, but his body blocks my view.

"What?" I ask. Beginning to walk toward him. He begins to laugh and steps back, allowing me a view of the fridge. When I see the contents I too begin to smile widely. The fridge is full of colourful foods and drinks I don't even recognize.

"Have you ever seen this much?" Cassius asks me through his wide smile. I shake my head, speechless at the contents.

"This could feed a whole district!" I say as I take a few steps closer.

"Speaking of which, there's a television. Care to watch the news?" I ask Cassius. He smiles again and nods.

"I'll find something to eat." He says.

"Like that'll be hard." I say as I turn to the living room that has a large television mounted on the beige wall. The colour scheme of the apartment is nice, mostly beige walls with navy blue and maroon decor. Much nice than anything in Twelve.

I sit on the couch and find a remote control on the glass-top table. I click some buttons, unsure of which controls what, but after a few moments of blindly hitting buttons the screen goes from black to a colourful array of lights and sounds. Even the commercials continue to amaze me. In Twelve all the television is filtered, giving us only propaganda the Capitol wants us to see. Essentially anything regarding the games or praising the government is allowed, other than that is strictly banned in the districts.

I'm not surprised to see Deion's face show on the screen behind a logo depicting the Hunger Games. I lean back on the couch and watch as theatrical music plays and Deion begins to speak,

"Good evening. Tonight we begin with some of the most interesting interviews of some of the fan favourite tributes of the recent Games. To begin we'll be showing everyone's favourite flirt, Cassius of District One."

"Oh God." Cassius groans from behind me. I turn around to see him carrying a blue bowl filled with colourful fruits.

"We can find something else." I offer, unsure if watching something like this would bother him.

"Nah, it's fine. I'm just curious to see what idiots would pretend to be all sympathetic for me." Cassius says as he sits on the couch next to me.

"What do you mean?" I ask, selecting a red berry from the bowl. This one is one of the few I recognize from Twelve, a strawberry like the ones my mother would occasionally bring home when she went into the woods.

"Most of the other reaping age kids in One would envy Athena and I, everyone wants to be in the games. They make us look like heroes, martyrs even. People would say they feel horrible and everything when they really would give anything to be in the games." I watch his face as he speaks. I can't imagine living somewhere where you don't have to worry about being picked because someone would always volunteer. In Twelve it's a death sentence. In One, Two, and Four it's an honour.

My attention is shifted back to the television when the face of a boy about our age pops onto the screen. He looks a little like Rye, sandy hair and grey eyes, but he's much more muscular, obviously one who trained for the games.

"I worked with Cassius once, he's a good guy. He's pretty tough and knows how to talk his way out of things. He's got a heart of gold and really doesn't deserve this. He's got a really good shot at winning, but I doubt he'll want to hurt his friends. We just want him to come home." The boy says. I look at Cassius for comment. He scoffs.

"That guy hates my guts. I beat him in a race a few years back and since then he's had it out for me. But then again, I may have also taken his girlfriend once..." He trails off and I punch him fairly hard in the arm.

"Hey! Just being honest." Cassius says, mocking pain in his arm.

"I can be honest too, just watch." I say with a smirk. It may not be a lot to Cassius, but to me even making jokes is incredibly hard for me. It's really the most emotion I've shown since I woke up in rehab.

"We now show you a clip from Athena's brother, Maximus. He was the first one to address what Athena's strategy in the games might be. Let's take a look." Deion swivels his chair to look at a screen behind him that shows a man, about twenty, who looks almost exactly like a male version of Athena.

"Athena may be pretty, but she's smart. I wouldn't be surprised if she puts on a dumb girl act and really ends up outsmarting everyone. She doesn't like to be tricked and would take revenge on anyone who messes with her. She may have allies, but in the end she'd go pretty far to survive." The man says. I think back to how Cassius and I left Athena and Daria to die in the woods, and how she killed Cassius as revenge. Her brother was right, she's smarter than she looks.

"Next in our list of fan favourites is Darrow, the youngest tribute in the games this year. He was a feisty one from Six who charmed us with his young age. We'll be showing you some words from his mother," Once again, Deion turns to the screen behind him. I can't help but look away when the woman appears on the television. I recognize Darrow as one of my kills. One who wasn't rescued.

I lean into Cassius' shoulder, unwilling to look at the woman who likely hates me for killing her young son. I don't blame her, I'd likely hate me too were I in her place. I lean forward and take a handful of berries from the bowl Cassius brought and slowly pop them into my mouth, enjoying the flavours that I've never experienced. I was never really hungry in Twelve, we had plenty of food from my parents' supply from the Capitol, but the food always lacked flavour.

When I dare to look back at the television I see Deion again, this time introducing Dale.

"He was a force to be reckoned with from the beginning, who many thought would be a shoe in to win the games, but alas met his end in a battle for family at the hands of our victor, Rye Mellark. Let's look at his co-worker, Rich." The screen cuts to a large, muscled man who's standing in an apple orchard.

"Dale's pretty much pure muscle, he's definitely goin' for the intimidating act. He's not gonna let anyone go, no matter what. And if he goes down, he's goin down guns blazing. I'd put my money on him." The screen then cuts to Deion again, this time with a sadder look on his elasticated face.

"Now comes time for one of the most tragic deaths in Hunger Games history, that of Willow Mellark, Rye's sister. Now we didn't know much about the Mellark children before the games due to their parents, Peeta and Katniss Mellark keeping their children away from Capitol eyes. One of the most touching interviews was with Katniss Mellark, Willows mother, right after the end of the games. Let's see what she had to say." I grab Cassius' arm to support myself and keep my hands from shaking.

"You don't have to watch this." He says, making a move for the remote to shut off the television.

"No." I say, my eyes fixated on the screen that will soon show me the first images of my mother that I've seen in weeks. I don't know if I'm ready to see her, but when her face fills the screen I find some comfort in her.

"Willow was always a good person. She never complained and kept to herself." My mother pauses, looking up briefly to try and keep her tears at bay. I make no such effort and let my own fall as she speaks.

"Losing her-" She inhales sharply, "I can't even put it into words."

"Do you admire her for her actions in the games?" A voice off camera asks. My mother nods.

"She did things I could have never done. She left an ally so she wouldn't have to hurt them herself. She died for her brother. I respect her a thousand times over for that." Her words cause even more tears to fall over my cheeks and onto the couch. I never thought my mother had much admiration for anyone, let alone me. She was always so introverted, like she was fighting off her own thoughts too much to take notice of anyone around her. Having her says she respected my actions means more than anything I can imagine.

"And what about Peeta?" The off-screen voice asks. I watch my mothers face harden at the mention of my father and she takes a step forward. She raises a fist and the camera cuts to black before we see what happens next. Cassius and I sit in silence while the show cuts to commercials advertising some new cosmetic enhancement involving horns.

It's about eight now. I get up from the couch and walk over to a window to watch the city for awhile. Cassius cleans our plates from the supper we made, if you could call it that. It was more like whatever we recognized in the fridge piled onto a plate.

I look out the window and see a balcony on the other side of the apartment, just outside the kitchen window. I pry myself from the view and walk over to the kitchen window, to find it's actually a door that blends in well with the wall, explaining why we hadn't seen it earlier. I step outside and lean against the metal railing, watching the lights below flicker with celebrations of God knows what. I realize this is my first time seeing them as someone who could potentially partake in them. I'm finally free from the districts, the games and my old life. I'm not some Victors daughter, but a transfer from Two with a new life.

Cassius joins me quietly, wrapping a hand around my waist as he moves to stand next to me. We watch the lights below and listen to people drinking and laughing. After a few minutes Cassius taps my shoulder. I turn to look at him and he points upward to the sky. I let my eyes follow his finger upward and immediately notice what he wanted me to see.

Stars.

The first stars I've seen since before the games. The training centre was too sheltered by buildings to be able to see the stars, and the arena had an artificial sky that didn't include stars. This is the first time I've seen them in weeks. A large smile breaks into my face as I watch the stars twinkle above us.

Cassius brings up a hand and points to a line of stars with a drop hanging down below it to the right.

"See that?" He asks me. I nod, still smiling. I notice him shift his attention from the sky to me.

"That's called the Willow." He says with a smile. I shift my eyes to look at him, the smile still wide on my face.

"Really?" I ask. He nods.

"Well, the Willow Mansion but same thing." He says with a shrug.

"Just kiss her already!" A voice from above us calls. I quickly dart my head over the balcony to look straight up. To my surprise I see the faces of Athena and Kai looking down at us from their own balcony.

Cassius quickly joins me in looking up at the spying pair and smirks.

"Go on! You haven't got all night!" Kai calls again, causing Athena to burst out in a fit of laughter.

Cassius turns his head to look at me with his eyebrows raised.

"Gotta please the people." He says to me with a shrug.

"All in a day's work." I confirm. He takes my permission and closes the gap between us until our lips meet. I hear Athena and Kai hoot and holler above us, but ignore them, they're not important right now to either of us. Cassius and I straighten out in unison so we're no longer leaning over the balcony. I wrap my hands loosely over his shoulders, joining them behind his neck. He grabs my waist and we stand there, together, kissing slowly for a long time.

For the moment, amid all the chaos surrounding my life and the very fact that I'm alive dissolves and I allow myself to enjoy this small piece of heaven for the moment.

When the kiss ends all too soon we continue to watch the stars together on the balcony, in a blissful state.

"When I died, I told you I loved you." Cassius says. I look at him before I reply.

"You were delusional, busy dying and all." I say, afraid he'll say he didn't mean it. He shakes his head.

"No, I meant it. But I wanted you to know the very moment I knew." He says, brushing a precise of new blonde hair from my face.

"And when was that?" I ask.

"During your interview, I saw you on stage dancing. You looked like a kid, so carefree and just having fun. You weren't trying to impress the Gamemakers like with the knives. It was just-" He pauses. "You."

I smile again and this time I instigate the kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

The morning comes all too soon the next day. I wake just after six to the soft chirping of the bedside alarm clock. I unwillingly pry myself from under the sheets of the plush bed, which is nicer than any I've ever slept in. I quickly turn off the alarm, not wanting to wake a sleeping Cassius. I pick up a pair of black pants and a plain black t-shirt I selected the night before and take them into the washroom to change. When I close the door I look in the mirror and am yet again surprised by my reflection. I inspect myself for a while, still dumbfounded by how much I don't look like myself. I find it almost creepy in a sense, even my eyes aren't mine.

Once I've stopped inspecting my reflection, I change into my new clothes and a thought dawns on me. Today I'll start my assigned mission of befriending the president. I continue to ponder this as I pull my hair into a high ponytail, leaving only my blunt bangs out of the elastic. I look at the clock implanted in the wall and see it now reads ten after six. I splash some cold water from the faucet onto my face. The water is much cleaner here, we have running water at my home in Twelve however there are oftentimes flecks of dirt and rust speckled throughout the water.

When I exit the bathroom I find Cassius still asleep and quietly make my way through the bedroom and into the kitchen. I still can't believe all of this, not only did I survive the Games, but I now live in the Capitol in a beautiful apartment. This is all so surreal I find myself making a tea and drinking it on the balcony, simply taking in the view of the Capitol. As much as I hate this places and all the pain it has caused me and everyone I care about I can't help but be grateful for the second life I've been granted. I watch as the sun begins to rise over the many buildings of the Capitol, causing them to shimmer with the reflections of orange and yellow light.

I think back to all the sunrises I took for granted in Twelve, I'll never see another one again. I'll never sit on the porch with my father and watch the sun set over the forest. I'll never get to explore the woods with my mother as she tells me about her days when she was young and living in Twelve. But the thing I'll miss most of all is teasing Rye. I'd always tease him when he'd walk home with a girl, or when he'd burn a loaf of bread he was trying to bake. I'll never get to tease him again, and I'll never get to comfort him when he's scared.

I lean against the railing of the balcony, watching as the screens below flicker with new images. The crowds have yet to join together in the square, leaving the city in a calm silence. I'm about to enter the apartment again when I see something familiar from the corner of my eye. I quickly turn back to the city and see the white screen with black lettering again.

_Free The Mellarks_

I watch the screen and try to squint to see if there's anything else to help me decipher the message or it's creator. After nearly half a minute the screen fades back into advertisements again and I'm left in just as much confusion as before. I grab my mug from the railing and enter the apartment again, rinsing out the cup as I think.

Dew told me about the phrase before I went into the arena. The government doesn't like my parents because they voted against the leaders. They tried to frame my parents into looking like they were against the districts, but the districts saw through the lies and now wish to clear their names. But that simply leads me to wonder what Rye and I had to do with it all, we we're never framed by the Capitol and I volunteered for the games. Perhaps I can see Rye's implications, but I willingly volunteered myself. I shake my head in confusion and look at the clock on the wall.

Six forty. I've still got twenty minutes until someone is supposed to come and take me for training and this waiting is simply making me nervous.

I don't know the first thing about peacekeeping, let alone protecting the President. I get a churning feeling in my stomach at the daunting thoughts of my task, and the potential importance of how I execute them. I find some comfort in knowing I'll have Apollonia to confide in, but I don't like not being able to tell Cassius what's happening. I don't know how I'll be able to lie to him.

Just as I finish my thought a sleepy Cassius enter the kitchen. I can't help but laugh at his appearance, his new black hair is tousled and messy from sleep and his eyes are slightly red.

"Mornin'." He nearly grunts and I grin.

"You look great." I tell him with a grin, my voice dripping with sarcasm. He shoots me a glare and I continue to chuckle at his appearance.

"At least I look better than I did in the arena." He says, pouring himself a cup of coffee from the machine I hadn't noticed.

"Well…" I begin, only to be cut off when there's a knock at the door.

"Who the hell is that at seven in the morning?" Cassius asks. "I swear, if that's Athena or Kai they won't have hands to knock with." He says, taking a sip of his coffee and making a move toward the door. I quickly realize that it's likely my escort and make up a story quickly.

"That's probably Apollonia, we both wanted to get to know each other better and decided to tour the city today." I lie through my teeth.

"Gotta go!" I say, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before I quickly walk over to the door.

"Not sure when I'll be back." I call over my shoulder and quickly open the door and slip out, blocking the opening with my body so he can't see who was actually there.

I find a man in a black suit standing outside my door. He looks up from a folder he's holding, surprised by my sudden appearance.

"Miss Anastasia Briggs?" He asks me, reading the name off his sheet.

"That's me, Sir." I respond, trying to pull off the act of being a well disciplined Two. He nods and closes the folder.

"Follow me." He says as he begins to walk down the hallway toward the elevators. We walk in silence, and I'm unsure whether or not I should begin conversation with the man. I'm pretty much as far from a well disciplined peacekeeper as you can get, so the comportment is a total mystery to me. He calls an elevator and after the doors open we step in. He presses the button for the ground floor and the doors close slowly.

"So you're from Two." He says, catching me off guard, I guess we do make conversation. I quickly rack my brain for any information Dew gave me about my background.

"Yes Sir," I begin, "I've been a peacekeeper for the mayor for two years now, I'm honoured to have been selected to come to be a Presidential Peacekeeper." I say, my heart beating quickly, desperately hoping I've said the right things.

"And you're a survival expert?" He asks me as the doors to the lobby open. I widen my eyes when he turns his back, unaware of this aspect of my position. It fits me though, having survived in the arena for a decent amount of time. Coming up with an explanation shouldn't be hard.

"Yes Sir. I've had some experience." I begin as I follow the man out of the elevator and out of the apartment complex.

He remains silent for the remainder of our walk. He only speaks when we reach a black car with windows that are equally black. He knocks on the front window and the driver rolls it down just enough to see the man through the crack.

A door further down the car opens and the man who retrieved me gestures for me to enter. I've never seen a car this close before, let alone ridden in one. I quickly comply with the mans directions and climb into the back of the vehicle. There's a bench of plush seats and I sit on the far side, near one of the blacked out windows. I hear the man tap the glass again and the door closes automatically, without anyone there to do so. I feel my heartbeat accelerate with anxiety as the car begins to move foreword.

For a moment during the trip I have the sickening feeling of something horrible yet to happen but that subsides soon after. I don't know how much time has passed, but when the car jolts to a stop the door near me open. I hesitantly step out of the car and squint in the morning sunlight, trying to adjust to the new conditions.

"Name?" Someone barks at me. I quickly turn around to see the shilouette of a large man in front of the Presidencial Mansion. I'd seen it on television many times, and my parents had described it to me, but I'd never seen it in person. I stand there, gaping at the beautiful building until the man barks at me again.

"Name?" He asks again, more forcefully this time.

"Anastasia Briggs." I say quickly, trying to cover for my distraction.

"Why are you here?" He asks me. I look behind me at the car.

"Because I was driven here..." I begin, unsure of how to answer that question.

"And why were you taken here?" He barks, unamused by my answer.

"I've been offered a position as a Presidencial peacekeeper, specialized in survival." I answer confidently, desperately hoping this was the right answer.

The man looks at a screen he's holding in one hand and then back up at me.

"Go ahead." He tells me and says somethig into a radio in his shoulder.

I hear a beep and suddenly the large iron gates begin to open slowly. I pause for a moment and look around before walking through the new opening to the mansion.

The walk is fairly long along the paved stone road. I hear my footsteps clicking along the stones as I can feel all the security cameras on me, inspecting my every move, trying to figure out what exactly my intentions are. I'm about to begin the acting career I never really wanted.

Only this job could cause the fall of a government.


End file.
